Milking systems, which automatically milk dairy animals, are known in the field of farming and commonly referred to as automatic milking systems (AMS). The most common dairy animal with which an AMS may be used is a cow. Most AMS can be used with small herds of cows which are housed in barns. The animals live and are fed in a large barn which also houses the automatic milking system. The animals can wander from the end of the barn to the automatic milking system, where the cow is fed and milked at the same time.
This system, however, does not work effectively in situations in which cows are not housed in barns, but are housed in paddocks, where they freely graze from pasture. These animals are usually milked twice a day, using conventional milking systems. The animals can walk considerable distances (sometimes up to 2-3 kilometers) from their grazing paddocks to the milking area. The paddocks in which the animals graze may change regularly to maintain a good feed level and allow the grass and vegetation in each paddock to recover from grazing and to most effectively utilise the feed that is grown.
Using an AMS with this kind of pasture based farming can be difficult. The animals (usually cows) must rotate which paddocks they graze in, allowing optimum growth of the grass and health of the animals. Implementing an automatic milking system, which will work whichever paddock a cow is in, and includes a long walk to the building housing the AMS, can be difficult.
One way of overcoming this problem is described in New Zealand Patent No. 512521, which discloses a selection system and method for milking animals. This system works by having an attractant at a selection station in a grazing paddock. As the cows are drawn to the attractant, the system identifies each cow using a tag reader. This identification information is then checked against milking records. If a cow meets a predetermined criterion it is then allowed access to a passage or raceway which leads to the milking area, which may include an automatic milking system. If the cow does not meet the predetermined criterion, the cow is directed back to the old or onto a new paddock.
The attractant is usually something that the animal would like to feed from once or twice a day, such as water, feed, or grain. The basic selection system makes a decision based on information from milking records to determine whether the cow should be milked and allows the cow into a race to walk to the automated milking system. This simple predetermined criteria of whether a cow should be milked based on milking records can be limiting, as it does not take into account the animals health, the number of animals in the race or any other discriminating factors such as individual behaviour patterns.
The nature of the attractants available in or via the selection system, as well as the diurnal patterns of cows means that many cows may enter the system at the same time or in close succession. This can create a long queue, in which an animal is required to stand for a long time as it waits to be milked. Long wait times create stress on animals, and result in inefficient use of the system. This can impact on the quality and volume of milk, or the health of the animal.
Long periods of time off pasture waiting to be milked is also a less positive experience for the cow thereby reducing her likelihood of returning to the selection system for further selection for milking, in turn making the complete system less effective. It would be preferable for the animal to remain in the paddock and be able to graze or lie comfortably, rather than stand or lie in a long queue.
It would also be preferable if there was a way of ensuring priority animals were sent to the AMS for milking. Animals might be designated as a priority due to health reasons, such as temperament or other behaviour reasons, lactation condition or physiological state such as mastitis, lameness or reproductive status.
Similar problems to the above discussed with respect to automatic milking systems are also present in relation to pasture management for livestock. Grazing animals need to be shifted from one break of pasture to another over time as the original pasture is depleted. Generally, animals have to travel some distance through a channel or race to the new pasture. It would therefore be of advantage to have a selection system which could preferentially allow some animals priority access to new pasture over other animals. It would also be of advantage to have a selection system which could consider characteristics of animals when determining which animals should be allowed access to sources of new pasture.
An improved system for selection of which animals are enqueued would be preferred. Specifically, one that takes into account the amount of animals already in the queue, and the likelihood of an animal returning to the attractant at a later time. This would allow the minimal queue to be kept at all times, and animals that are seen to be returning often can be turned away, whereas animals which return only once a day can be enqueued as a priority.
A system which also takes into account whether the animal would be milked by the automatic milking system would also be an advantage.
All references, including any patents or patent applications cited in this specification are hereby incorporated by reference. No admission is made that any reference constitutes prior art. The discussion of the references states what their authors assert, and the applicants reserve the right to challenge the accuracy and pertinency of the cited documents. It will be clearly understood that, although a number of prior art publications are referred to herein, this reference does not constitute an admission that any of these documents form part of the common general knowledge in the art, in New Zealand or in any other country.
It is acknowledged that the term ‘comprise’ may, under varying jurisdictions, be attributed with either an exclusive or an inclusive meaning. For the purpose of this specification, and unless otherwise noted, the term ‘comprise’ shall have an inclusive meaning—i.e. that it will be taken to mean an inclusion of not only the listed components it directly references, but also other non-specified components or elements. This rationale will also be used when the term ‘comprised’ or ‘comprising’ is used in relation to one or more steps in a method or process.
It is an object of the present invention to address the foregoing problems or at least to provide the public with a useful choice.
Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the ensuing description which is given by way of example only.